Trailing 10-6 with 6:18 remaining in the contest, the #4 Colorado State Rams staged an improbable comeback against the #9 Colorado Buffaloes, scoring four straight goals to tie the game and then winning it in the second overtime period in the annual Rocky Mountain Lacrosse Showdown at Sports Authority Field at Mile High Stadium.
The Rams only led once, and that was after sophomore attackman Sean Smith (Amherst HS / Amherst, NY) completed his hat-trick with 2:19 remaining in double overtime to give the Rams a dramatic comeback victory against their rivals from Boulder. Smith was named the Showdown’s Most Valuable Player for his effort, which included three goals and an assist.
Colorado held all the momentum after three quarters and led 8-4 heading into the final frame. The Rams continued to trail as the game wore down, despite controlling the ball for long stretches of time and outshooting the Buffaloes by a wide margin. Finally, after CU’s Riley Seidel scored an empty net goal to push the Buff lead to 10-6 with 6:18 remaining, CSU’s offense came alive to tie the game.
Sophomore attackman Kacy Carter (Rock Canyon HS / Castle Rock, CO) scored two goals in just over a minute to get the Rams within two with 4:03 to go. Then Smith connected with 2:54 remaining to make it a one-goal game. Finally, with just :38 seconds left, Carter found junior Austin Fisher (Rock Canyon HS / Highlands Ranch, CO) just after a man-up expired for the equalizer to send the game to overtime.
CSU won the face-off in both overtime periods and controlled the ball throughout. After moving the ball around the perimeter, Smith received a pass from freshman Mike Wolff (Don Bosco Prep / Ramsey, NJ), stepped around his defender and sent the ball home for the game winner.
Colorado started the game hot, scoring the first three goals of the game and leading 4-2 at the half. Even after junior face-off midfielder Dan Warfield (Smoky Hill HS / Aurora, CO) scored immediately out of the halftime break to make it a one-goal game, the Buffs continued to roll through the third quarter, outscoring CSU 4-1 over the next 14 minutes to get their 8-4 lead.
For more: http://csulacrosse.com/2012/04/22/sean-smiths-game-winner-steals-showdown-for-csu/
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